1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a card edge connector, and more particularly to a card edge connector having a latch for locking a complementary electrical card received therein.
2. Description of Related Art
Card edge connectors which electrically connect electrical cards to mother boards within a limited space of a computer or other like electronic device are well known. A conventional card edge connector as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,603,625, 5,634,803, and 5,662,485 generally includes an insulative housing defining a slot for receiving a mating edge of a complementary electrical card and a plurality of passageways on opposite side walls of the slot and communicating with the slot, a plurality of contacts received in the passageways of the insulative housing and having mating portions exposed in the slot for contact with conductive pads on the mating edge of the complementary electrical card, and a pair of ejectors or latch members at opposite ends of the insulative housing for facilely extract the complementary card held in the slot. The ejectors or latch members are provided with locking sections at top ends thereof which are received within correspondingly sized and shaped cutouts in the complementary electrical cards when the ejectors or latch members are in their locked or upright positions.
However, the conventional locking sections are all horizontally received in the cutouts of the complementary electrical cards and are not held in a reverse direction, the locking sections are apt to disengage from the cutouts, thereby adversely affecting the retention of the electrical cards in the slots of the insulative housings.
Hence, a card edge connector having an improved latch member is desired.
An object of the present invention is to provide a card edge connector having a latch which can reliably lock a complementary electrical card.
To achieve the above object, a card edge connector comprises an insulative housing, a plurality of electrical contacts, and a latch member. The insulative housing comprises a mating face, a slot in the mating face, a plurality of passageways communicating with the slot, and a pair of support arms extending upwardly from an end thereof. The electrical contacts are received in the passageways of the insulative housing. The electrical contacts are received in the passageways of the insulative housing. Each latch member is piovtably moveable with respect to the insulative housing from a locked position to a released position and includes a main section pivotably assembled to the arms on the end of the insulative housing and a locking section extending from the main section at an acute angle relative to the mating face of the insulative housing in the locked position.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.